The present invention relates to a system for the chemical/physical treatment of a fluid according to the preamble of Claim 1.
Such a system is disclosed in WO 02/30570. In this publication a construction is described consisting of a rotary cylindrical body that also has the function of a rotary valve plate. For this purpose measures are taken on sides, being in the axial direction opposite, of the rotary cylindrical body, as a result of which it is possible to supply a fluid in the axial direction. There are axial bores in the cylindrical body that change into radial bores. These radial bores emerge at the wall of the cylinder. This cylinder wall is accommodated in a housing in a sealed manner and corresponding bores are made in this housing. Lines that are connected to a feed/discharge and/or reactors join onto both the stationary valve plates and the bores in the housing.
The aim with such a construction is always to provide various reactors with a changing fluid stream. All sorts of processes can be carried out by this means and in general these always involve regeneration of the reactors.
In the state of the art constructions are known where the reactors are constructed as columns that are arranged on a rotary frame. With this arrangement there is always a valve plate construction.
Using a construction as described in WO 02/30570 only the cylindrical body has to turn and rotation of the columns is no longer necessary, as a result of which an appreciable simplification can be obtained with, as a consequence, a saving in costs and freedom in positioning and design of reactors.
However, it is not easily possible to address a large number of reactors with the construction according to WO 02/30570. After all, in the embodiment shown the fact of the matter is that it is impossible or virtually impossible to achieve complete sealing of the construction. A large number of surfaces perpendicular to one another must be sealed with respect to one another, which, although it may be theoretically possible, in practice will always be beset with difficulties. According to this WO 02/30570 publication, increasing the number of reactors that can be connected is achieved by making feed/discharge openings in the stationary/rotary valve plate in the radial direction at various distances from the centre of rotation. However, if it is desired to keep the size of such a valve plate down and the complexity thereof may not be too great, it will not be possible to employ such a solution when using a larger number of columns.
GB 761 690 describes a distributor valve provided with two plate parts or end plates with axial feed openings that merge into radial channels. These radial channels all emerge axially at the same level. Furthermore, orifices of channels that are connected internally and do not emerge at a plate part or end plate are made in the cylinder wall. A corresponding construction as far as functioning is concerned is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,099.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a system that does not have these disadvantages and with which it is possible to address a larger number of columns with a single distributor valve.
This aim is realised with a system as described above having the characterising features of Claim 1.